Means for connecting shafts.



B. SEBASTIAN.

MEANS FOR CONNECTING SHAFTS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1911.

, 1 1 O4 838 Patented July 28,1914.

THE NORRIS PETERS CD14 FHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON D.C.

'onrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE. EUGEN SEBASTIAN, 0F SAARAU, SILESIA,GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO COMPANY PLUGGE & HOLTFORT, OF DORTMUND, GERMANY.

MEANS FOR CONNECTING SHAFTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 28, 1914.

Application filed August 7, 1911. Serial No. 642,844.

Saarau, Idaund Marienhiitte, Silesia. Ger

many, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means forConnecting Shafts, of which the following is a specification.

In certain machinery shafts are employed which permanently liehorizontally in line with each other when working and are then coupledtogether by means of a hinged shaft portion which can be turned up outof engagement when the coupled machine is idle. It is important that thehinged shaft portion shall remain in its turned-up posi tion when sorequired. This has hitherto been effected by means of .count-erweights,or by locking the said shaft portion in its turned-up position by meansof pins, bolts or intermediate pieces.

Now this invention has for its object to provide means for automaticallylocking the hinged shaft portion in the turned-up position. .Theimproved means comprises broadly two parts namely the permanentlyhorizontal shaft and the hinged shaft portion. The hinged shaft portionmay be constructed either as an end portion or as a middle portion inwhich latter case it forms normally an intermediate port-ion of thepermanently horizontal shaft so that when turned down into its normalposition it serves as a coupling. The hinged shaft portion when turnedup is automatically locked in this posit-ion, that is to say, isprevented from swinging down, by reason of its own weight. It is alsoprevented from turning sidewise or falling over either by means ofself-locking driving devices acting upon it, or by means of forked orlooped guides in which it works. It may also be prevented from turningsidewise by means of nonautomatio devices such as keys, pins and thelike. In all cases however the hinged shaft portion is alwaysautomatically locked when turned up.

The invention consists broadly in constructing the parts of the jointbetween the permanent and hinged shaft portions in such a manner thatthey can slide upon each other and become locked thereby when the hingedshaft portion is turned up.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in verticalsection of a shaft coupling embodying the present improvements; Fig. 2is a plan of the joint portion of the same; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectiononthe line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a side elevation partly in sectionof a modified form of the joint, Figs. 5 to 8 are end elevations eachillustrating a modified form of guide for the hinged shaft portion.Figs. 9 and 10 are sectional side elevations illustrating a furthermodification of the oint in two positions. Fig. 11 is a side elevationand Fig. l2 is a plan of another modification of the oint. Fig; 13 is aside elevation partly in section of a device for locking the permanentlyhorizontal shaft portion.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3; a is a shaft formed at its end witha oint head 6 and pin 0 which may be of round or other shape. 6 is thehinged shaft portion; it is formed with an end counterpart d which isadapted to engage the head I) in such a manner as to form a joint suchthat the two parts can rotate together when the counter part (Z isinserted in the head b. Any suitable device may be provided for thepurpose of preventing the joint from opening of itself. ,At its otherend, the hinged shaft portion e is carried in a bearing f. It may alsobe provided with an extension 9 adapted to engage in the slot it of afurther shaft 2' for the purpose of driving the latter shaft as well.The shaft may also be the driving shaft, so that the shaft a will bestationary when the shaft portion 6 is turned up, or again, only thejoint head I; mounted in a suitable bearing may be provided. When theshaft portion 6 is to be turned up, it is lifted at its end 9 so as toallow the slotted counter part cl to slide automatically down by its ownweight on the pin 0 whereby its nose 7: enters the recess m of the jointhead 6. Then on being released it will be maintained by the weight ofthe shaft portion 0 in its up-turned position. In order to avoidjamming, the slot in the counterpart 03 may be enlarged as indicated atr in Fig. 4. In order to prevent sidewisc twisting or turning of theupturned joint, either the driving device of the shaft (1 is constructedto be self-locking, or the shaft portion 6 in being turned up, moves ina guide a which may be constructed in one of the several ways shown inFigs. 5 to 8. This guide at is more particularly used when, as shown inFig. 1, the

shaft portion 6 serves as a middle piece between two shafts a and 2',and the shaft '5 is, the driving shaft.

As shown in Fig. 5 the head stock or bearpart 8 is provided with twoguide rods n which surround the end 0? of the shaft 6.

According to Fig. 6, the upper arm 25 of. the bearing of the shaft a isprovided with two guide rods n which, as shown in Fig. 7, may also beconstructed to form a stirrup 11 In Fig. 8 the guide piece consists of aclosed stirrup 71, which is bolted to the part 8 and adapted to surroundthe end cl.

Figs. 9 and 10 show a construction of joint in which in place of therecess m, two pins g are employed against which the end of thecounterpart (Z is adapted to bear.

In the construction shown in Figs. 11 and 12 the joint head 6 has only aflat tongue with pin 0 over which the jaws of the counterpart (5 engage.

In Fig. 13, instead of providing a guide to prevent shaft, 6, turningsidewise when turned up, the permanently horizontal shaft a is locked bymeans of a removable pin, 8, when the hinged shaft 6 is about to beturned upward.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters latent is 1. In means for connecting shafts thecombination with a permanently approximately horizontal shaft and ahinged shaft situated approximately in line therewith and capable ofturning upward on the end of the permanently horizontal shaft, of meansfor coupling the two shafts together, when they are in line, and meansfor automatically looking the hinged shaft in its turned-up position bythe action of gravity, as set forth.

2. In means for connecting shafts the combination with a permanentlyapproximately horizontal shaft and a hinged shaft situated approximatelyin line therewith and capable of turning upward on the end of thepermanently horizontal shaft, of means for coupling the two shaftstogether, when they are 1 in line, means for automatically preventingthe hinged shaft when turned up from falling back out of its turned upposition, and means for preventing the hinged shaft from turningsidewise out of its turned-up position, as set forth.

3. In means for connecting shafts the com bination with a permanentlyapproximately horizontal shaft and a hinged shaft situated approximatelyin line therewith and capable of turning upward on the end of thepermanently horizontal shaft, of means for coupling the two shaftstogether, when they are in line, means for automaticallypreventing thehinged shaft when turned up from falling back out of its turned upposition, and means for locking the permanently horizontal shaft,whereby the hinged shaft is prevented from turning sidewise, as setforth.

4. In means for connecting shafts the combination with a permanentlyapproximately horizontal shaft and a hinged shaft situated approximatelyin line therewith and capable of turning upward on the end of thepermanently horizontal shaft, of means for coupling the two shaft-stogether when they are in line, means for automatically preventing thehinged shaft when turned-up from falling back out of its turned upposition, and forked guide for preventing the hinged shaft from turningsidewise out of its turned up position, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

' EUGEN SEBASTIAN. Vitnesses ERNs'r BLEIROT, CLARA BENDIG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. v

